Great Lakes Gift Creates the Daniel Carey Community Scholars Fund

(Celebrating 'Great' News - l. to r. Megan Marquardt, Nazka Serrano, Jenae Buege-McClain, President Emeritus Dan Carey, Richard George, Pres. and CEO, Great Lakes; Dave Hanson, Board Member, Great Lakes; Amy Kerwin, VP of Philanthropy, Great Lakes; Marco Bravo, Mathias Lemos-Castillo, Anna Jimenez-Diaz, Alex Booker.)

Madison, Wis. (November 6, 2014) – Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation has created the Daniel Carey Community Scholars Fund with a gift to the College this week of $500,000. This new endowed fund named in honor of President Emeritus Dan Carey will support the full tuition of one additional Community Scholar every four years. Edgewood College created the Community Scholars Program, which supports three students each year with full tuition while they earn their undergraduate degrees.

“We like to invest in programs that make measurable differences, and that’s why we like the Edgewood College Community Scholars Program, created under Dan Carey’s leadership,” Great Lakes Board Member Dave Hanson said. “Great Lakes believes in access, persistence, and post-graduate success. We are pleased to continue our support of students at Edgewood College through this partnership.” Great Lakes was one of the original funders of the Community Scholars Program, supporting a cohort of three students beginning in 2009.

President Scott Flanagan said this gift supports a critical piece of the Mission of the College. “We remain committed to becoming a place that looks like the community we serve, and where every single student we serve can be their genuine best self,” Flanagan said. “We are grateful for this powerful statement of support from Great Lakes, and we’ll continue to prepare students to share their unique gifts and talents in pursuit of the common good.”

President Flanagan succeeded Carey, taking over leadership of the College on August 1 of this year.

The Community Scholars Program scholarship is for academically motivated Dane County residents who demonstrate financial need. The Community Scholars Award is intended to make an Edgewood College education available for students who might not otherwise pursue a degree at the College.

The Community Scholars program seeks to develop engaged, just, and compassionate community leaders. Community Scholars award recipients become part of a team of students committed to academic excellence, community service, personal exploration and growth. Community Scholars become informed about local community issues and learn leadership skills to address these issues through service throughout their undergraduate education. This four-year full-tuition scholarship is awarded to three freshmen each year.

About Great Lakes: Dedicated to making college education a reality since 1967

Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates was established as a nonprofit group focused on a single objective: helping students nationwide prepare for and succeed in post-secondary education and student loan repayment. As a leading student loan guarantor and servicer, we have been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to provide assistance and repayment planning to nearly 9 million borrowers – as well as assistance to colleges and lenders nationwide. Our group’s earnings support one of the largest and most respected educational philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, we have committed nearly $127 million in grant funding to promote higher education access and completion for students of color, low income students, and first-generation students. For additional information, visit home.mygreatlakes.org.

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